A Night in Ecbatana
by Baliansword
Summary: Alexander and Hephaestion spend a night together, just before Hephaestion falls ill in Ecbatana. One Shot. Sorry for my long delay in stories!


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**Title**: "'A Night in Ecbatana"

**Author**: Baliansword

**Date**: August 8, 2006

**Rating**: T ; includes scenes with sexual situations. May be inappropriate for some readers. The homophobic would be these such readers.

**Type**: One Shot

**Chapter**: 1 of 1

**Summary**: Alexander and Hephaestion share a simple night in Ecbatana just a few days before Hephaestion falls ill. It shows the tenderness and the passion that we are all used to. However, I forewarn, the ending is not as happy as most would like it to be. Hephaestion is ill at the end, but I promise, I won't depict the day he dies. Just slightly before.

**A/N**:For the fans with a special shout out to Jared Leto, who with his band 30 Seconds to Mars has a number one video on the show T-Minus Rock with their newest video, The Kill". And for an update on Colin Farrell, his newest flick "Miami Vice" opens up on July 28th. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is currently in Britain, from what I know, and is still just pretty. (Don't you love how I'm updating you on the Alexander stars?) Rosario Dawson cough will be in "Clerks 2", cough which is set to open July 21st as well. Angelina Jolie still remains a lovely new mother with her and Brad Pitt's first biological daughter together, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. Val Kilmer is ... Val Kilmer is just himself so I'm sure he's doing fine. As for Francisco Bosch, he is continuing with his dancing abilities and rumor has it will be in an upcoming flick taking place in the Swing Era. I cannot confirm or deny the rumor. (Speaking of rumors, Jessica Simpson has been linked to our Jared Leto ... don't worry, I'll take her out. I've outlawed them. No, I have no reason, other than I want Jared to myself -But I'll share him with you guys!)

**H/N: **This story will be taking place in Ecbatana in the year 324 BC.

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He sat silently, admiring the wall before him. The mural that had been depicted was a great warrior of Babylon fighting invaders from the western lands. It was cleaned daily, which was apparent. No one would deny such. The gold inlaid across the outlines of the mural began to shine in the dull light produced by hanging Persian candelabras. Even the flames that lit this room seemed to be a golden color. Crossing his arms over his chest he leaned back against the wall for a moment. He then silently lifted his cup of wine to his lips and took a sip of the cool liquid.

"Is it not beautiful," asked a familiar voice. Hephaestion tilted his head to the left so that he could see Alexander, who was comfortably leaning against the frame of the corridor. A lock of his blond hair fell across his cheek and he too crossed his arms. His eyes lingered over the mural for a moment before he pushed himself away from the wall with his shoulder. He crossed in front of the mural and placed a hand on one of the warriors from the west. Hephaestion watched him, saying nothing, and merely instead he set down his cup on a stand.

"This one," Alexander said quietly as he hand trailed over the wall, "looks like you."

"No," Hephaestion said with a laugh. His laugh had never changed, not in all these years, when perhaps everything else had. Alexander smiled upon hearing it, even though Hephaestion would not see the smile. Still, Hephaestion's laugh was the purest thing that he had ever heard.

"Come."

Hephaestion stood and gladly crossed the empty space between them. He set his hand in Alexander's, which his lover held out to him. Upon doing so Alexander pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him as he stood behind him. Alexander conveniently placed his head lightly on Hephaestion's shoulder and kissed his neck. Hephaestion reached out with a hand and touched the cold mural, running his hand over the cheek of the man that Alexander had just been touching.

"He looks nothing like me," Hephaestion said, sucking in a breath as Alexander kissed the pulse at his neck. Alexander had been the only one to ever hold him in such a way. He was the only one that could ever turn him on in such a way, keep him guessing and waiting for what Alexander would do next.

"Look at him," Alexander whispered against his neck. Hephaestion laughed lightly and did as he was told. He stared at the fairer skinned man on the mural. As he did, Alexander eased them a step closer, and he reached up and put a finger under Hephaestion's chin. As he spoke he raised Hephaestion's chin slightly.

"He carries himself without fear," he told Hephaestion, his voice still soft and barely audible. "His jaw firmly set, head held high, he walks with pride. Do you see how he does so?"

"Perhaps."

"He is beautiful, something to behold, which is why this man here pauses in his stride. He wants to see what this wonder from the west is, even though he knows that he is an enemy."

Alexander indicated with his hand the Persian man. Hephaestion was not sure if the man was really pausing in stride. It was hard to tell with murals. Yet the tale that Alexander was depicting still intrigued him and brought a hint of a smirk to his lips.

"Tell me then," Hephaestion then asked. "Why would this man remind you of me? You've seen me in battles. There are none that stop, mystified by what beauty you say I hold."

"You are he in every way. The pride is there, Hephaestion. The moment that you admit to yourself that you are something to behold, the way that I see you, you will see it too."

"After all of these years," Hephaestion said with a slight laugh, "you have proved one thing to me."

"And what is that," Alexander asked as he kissed him lightly on the shoulder. His arms wrapped around Hephaestion's hips and he pressed his palms lightly against his pelvis. "Because doesn't everyone know how irresistibly charming I am?"

"No," Hephaestion said as he turned in Alexander's arms. Alexander moved him back so that Hephaestion was steadied by the mural. Hephaestion then raised his palm and pressed it against Alexander's cheek as he leaned in, kissing him lightly. "You are not irresistibly charming. In fact, at times, you are a completely vile, irritated, disorganized ass."

"Then what have I proved?"

"That even after all of that, I love you, because every time you look at me you show me that you love me. When you speak my name, you say it with an enthusiasm that no other could. And when you are before me, as you are now, you stare at me as if I am the only person, place, or thing you have ever desired."

"Well," Alexander said as he pressed his lips lightly against Hephaestion's.

He kissed him softly, tenderly, reaching up and holding the back of his neck with a hand as if he feared perhaps he would leave. As the kiss ended he did not pull his lips far away. Instead, he let them brush against Hephaestion's, and lightly uttered his neck words. "You are the only thing in the world that I desire. Everything else I would get rid of, of just to have you."

"You're almost done," Hephaestion assured him softly. He ran a hand through Alexander's silken hair and met his deep brown eyes with his own. "You have but Arabia. Then it is yours. You'll have nothing left to conquer. What will you do then?"

"Conquer you," he answered. He then pressed his lips back to Hephaestion's. As he kissed him, he ran his tongue over Hephaestion's lower lip. As he did so, he wrapped his arms around Hephaestion's waist, and them wander over Hephaestion's body. One hand slid down to the back of Hephaestion's thigh, where he lightly rubbed his palm up and down against soft taunt skin. The other he set against the small of Hephaestion's back, where his fingers grazed against skin, sending electric volts through Hephaestion's body.

Hephaestion responded by passionately kissing Alexander back, opening his mouth to allow his lover entrance to his mouth. As Alexander's tongue entered his mouth he lifted his own tongue, touching it to Alexander's. This only caused him to go slightly weak in the knees and he had to remind himself to lean against the wall. He wrapped placed both of his hands on Alexander's hips, pulling him closer, then arching his lower body against him as Alexander's hand moved to his inner thigh.

Alexander's hand pressed warmly against Hephaestion's inner thigh, which seemed to almost be burning Hephaestion. The longer they spent nights apart, the more nights like this burned. Each touch was like the first. Each breath of air like their last. As Alexander ran his hand higher up Hephaestion's thigh, Hephaestion drew in a breath of air, gasping even more as his lips fought with Alexander's. Their lips already felt bruised, but it did not matter. They could not get enough of one another. Alexander's hand slid further up until his hand was completely hidden underneath Hephaestion's chitin. There, he was greeted by a very eager, and very erect symbol of Hephaestion's love for him.

"Alexander," Hephaestion said, his breath forced and uneven. As Alexander pressed his palm against him, Hephaestion tipped his head back. His head hit the mural, and he let out another breath before tilting his head down again. "Alexander, people could see us."

"Let them see," Alexander said against Hephaestion's neck as he continued to kiss his pulse. He then brought his lips further down, to his shoulder, and after a moment untied the front of his Persian robe. His chest was bare and he wore nothing other than a thin pair of crimson and gold silken pants. Alexander pressed his chest against Hephaestion's and wrapped the robe around him, to comfort him perhaps. He then let his hand press lightly, yet urgently, against Hephaestion's groin. Hephaestion arched slightly as Alexander did, and the hand under Alexander's arm so that he could hold his shoulder tightened.

"You're," he said with a laugh, even though it pained him, "going to get us ... caught."

"You like it," Alexander responded as his hand stroked Hephaestion. He brought his lips back to Hephaestion's, his tongue lapping at him, tasting him as he searched the dark caverns of his mouth. Hephaestion sunk against the wall, his body weak it seemed, and Alexander steadied him by pressing against him all the more. As Hephaestion shifted against him Alexander continued to caress him, his lips brushing against Hephaestion's at the same time.

Hephaestion felt his body clench for a moment as Alexander's hand warmed against him. Hephaestion drew in a breath and pressed his head against Alexander's shoulder. He pressed his lips to flesh, opening his mouth, lightly biting Alexander but for the most part trying to hold himself back. He dug the tips of his fingers into Alexander's shoulder and sunk further against the wall. After a moment, his head fell back against the wall. Smiling slightly Alexander pressed his lips against Hephaestion's jawline, kissing him softly as Hephaestion moaned his name deep in his throat.

There was a pause where Hephaestion did not breathe and Alexander kissed his jaw once more. Hephaestion's fingers then pressed firmly against Alexander's shoulder and his body convulsed in sheer pleasure. He sunk against Alexander then, and Alexander held him tightly, kissing his hair as he soothingly whispered that he loved him against his ear.

"Alexander," Hephaestion whispered after a second, "do you hear that?"

"Maybe," Alexander said as he ran a hand through Hephaestion's hair. He could hear just as well as Hephaestion, and therefore knew just as well as he did that there was someone entering the hallway. Hephaestion lifted his head and cast a nervous glance in the direction of the footfalls. He would have moved away, had he not been pressed against the wall.

"Alexander," he said again, this time more urgently.

"It is fine," Alexander assured him. He too then glanced in the same direction. Lightly he kissed him upon the lips, then glanced as Roxanne turned the corner. Hephaestion immediately stared down, almost shamed at the fact that Alexander still held him.

"Hephaestion," Roxanne said, her voice like crystallizing ice.

"Roxanne," Hephaestion replied, sending her a nervous glance, and then he looked away again. Alexander felt him shift underneath the security of the robe. He ducked under one of Alexander's arms, for both of his palms were pressed against the mural, no abashment coming from the king at all. Hephaestion turned his back to Roxanne and crossed his arms over his chest before he turned.

"Enjoy yourself at the party tonight," Alexander told his bride before he began to walk away. He stepped past Hephaestion, who dipped his head once more, before turning and following Alexander. Roxanne watched them go, then muttered under her breath that one day Hephaestion would not be able to steal her husband away from her so easily.

Meanwhile, Hephaestion followed Alexander down the hall. He did so silently, for unlike Alexander he felt some disgrace not in being in love with him, but in being caught by his wife in the process of loving him. Part of his mind told him not to worry, for Roxanne did not truly love Alexander, and it made no difference to her whether or not Alexander chose his nights to be with him. However, he still on the other half of his mind had decided that perhaps it was still a disrespect to her.

"Come," Alexander said as he turned out of the hallway and into a courtyard. Unsure of where they were going, Hephaestion followed though. Alexander took his hand then and led him out of the palace walls and into the once rather vacant land that had served as a ladies garden area.

"Where are we going," asked Hephaestion quietly.

"I will tell you in a minute."

They continued to make their way past a fountain here and there before finally Alexander stopped. He paused, looking to the left and to the right, before stepping through a hanging veil of vines. Hephaestion ducked under the veil as well and upon doing so collided with Alexander's back. Alexander reached behind him, wrapping his arms around Hephaestion, and dropped the vines.

"Look," he whispered, and Hephaestion did just that. In this small area, a small recently made garden, was everything that Hephaestion had come to love over the years. Alexander let him go as Hephaestion took a few steps forward, his eyes scanning the area. There were fountains that mocked those that he remembered in Athens, and there were Macedonian herbs growing around rocks and carefully placed ponds, which held small colorful fish in them; fish that Hephaestion had seen in places from Babylon to the Indus.

Babylonian themes were present as well, with a wall hiding the garden from one side, upon which there was a mural. Hephaestion wandered forward so that he could better see this mural. Reaching out, he pulled some vines with purple flowers away, and a smile touched his lips. It had been done recently, this mural. It was a depiction of Alexander, sitting on a chair with his hand outstretched. At first, he saw nothing more, yet when he glanced in the direction of Alexander's outstretched hand he saw something else. Moving to the right he pulled a few more stray vines away, only to reveal a depiction that forced him to laugh. A bare chested man with cerulean eyes and long brown locks stood before the beckoning king. Hephaestion glanced over his shoulder to Alexander.

"He looks just like you," Alexander said with a soft smile brining light to his features. Hephaestion stepped away from the wall and wrapped his arms around Alexander. He kissed him deeply, holding him to him.

"It isn't the Hanging Gardens," Alexander told him with a laugh as Hephaestion's lips left his. "But perhaps you will still find it comforting."

"Sometimes I don't believe that I deserve such gifts: Hephaestion said breathlessly as he glanced around the garden once more. It was truly amazing, and the work that had gone into making it so was apparent. Alexander pointed up, without saying anything, and for the first time Hephaestion noticed that there were nets at the top of the garden. He glanced around, and for the first time, he saw something move above them. It would be easier to see in the daylight, but he could still make out brightly colored birds that perched in trees for the night, and perhaps even a pair of monkeys from the Indus.

"Sometimes," Alexander then said, "I don't believe that I deserve you."

Hephaestion kissed him once more, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

As the kiss ended Alexander led Hephaestion to a bench that had been set in the garden. He sat, and Hephaestion leaned against him, until finally he put his head in Alexander's lap and stared up at the darkening sky above. Alexander ran his hands through Hephaestion's hair, massaging his scalp, happy to just be with him.

"Do you like it," he asked after some time.

"You know that I do," Hephaestion said, even though he did not open his eyes. Not much more was said, for with Alexander massaging him, Hephaestion was soon asleep. Alexander left him sleeping, not wishing to wake him, and certainly not wishing to go to another feast tonight. They remained in the garden until Hephaestion awoke, hours before sunrise, and Alexander led him back to his room where they made love -an action that both knew was long overdue. Afterwards they remained entwined with one another, sleeping soundly, both believing that the world was perfect. Neither knew that perfection in the world would not last long.

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Alexander lifted his head and rubbed his eyes for a moment. He immediately took Hephaestion's hand in his own and forced himself awake. Even in his deep sleep he'd felt him move. Hephaestion slowly turned his head and his eyes opened. Upon doing so a slight smile touched his lips, and Alexander felt his heart breaking.

"Should you be somewhere," Hephaestion asked, his voice weak, his fever not getting any better. Alexander leaned forward and kissed him. As he pulled away he shook his head, his free hand lightly caressing Hephaestion's forehead.

''There is nowhere else," he then said.

"I'm sorry."

"For what," Alexander asked him, unsure of what the sudden apology was for. Hephaestion's eyes had been watering yet now Alexander knew they were not doing so. He was crying. Not from pain, but due to something else.

"For this," Hephaestion whispered in reply.

"No," Alexander quickly said, his head shaking. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You're going to be fine. It is nothing worse than anything I've seen you through. "

"Nothing," he weakly repeated. He blinked a few times before his mind seemed to wander back. He then smiled brightly, as if nothing were wrong with him at all, and slowly that smile began to fade. Soon, he seemed enveloped in gloom and grief.

"What is it?"

"I want to go to the garden," Hephaestion suddenly said. Alexander looked at him, unsure of where his mind was. He was ill, perhaps dying if Philip was right, and he should be resting. All of the physicians had said the same thing. Sleep, broth, and medicine was all that he should be concerned with. Hephaestion, on the other hand, had never truly listened to physicians to begin with. He glanced at Alexander once more. "Is there any way that I can see it?"

"You should stay in bed."

"Please," he said. There was a sorrow in his voice, and Alexander found himself slowly beginning to nod, even as tears began to fall down his cheeks. He wanted to see the gardens. So, he would see the gardens. Alexander stood and pulled the blankets and sweat soaked sheets away from Hephaestion. He then reached down and lifted him up. Hephaestion tried to stand, but was going to have no success in doing so. Without a hesitation, Alexander scooped him up and into his arms.

"Shh," Alexander instructed before Hephaestion could protest. He walked to the doors and with a hand carefully opened the door. As he stepped out the pages standing at the door stared, their eyes widening. Alexander instructed them to say nothing. Then, he made his way to the garden.

"Thank you," Hephaestion whispered to him as Alexander carefully sat him upon the bench they'd slept on just two nights before. Hephaestion was paler now, but still beautiful. Alexander sat, placing Hephaestion's head upon his lap, and lightly massaged his scalp as Hephaestion watched the birds and the monkeys above as they flew and leapt from tree to tree. Hours passed before Alexander felt Hephaestion shiver.

"It is too cold," Alexander told him in a hushed tone. "You need to be back in bed. Philip is going to kill me:

"Just," Hephaestion said quietly, "a few more minutes. I want to remember it before I go back:

Alexander nodded, yet said nothing more. Arguing with Hephaestion had never done him any good. He silently glanced up as a large yellow parrot of some sort flew down and landed upon a fountain where it drank. The bird soon was nothing to catch his attention and he glanced back down at Hephaestion.

Hephaestion's eyes were closed and his breathing had slowed in sleep. Careful not to wake him, Alexander lifted him once more in his arms, and returned him to his room. Philip wanted to yell, but could not, for it would merely wake Hephaestion. Alexander shooed the man away with a hand and as the door shut, he crawled on top of the bed with Hephaestion. He remained above the covers, yet wrapped his arms around Hephaestion, and closed his eyes.

As he slept, he too saw the gardens of Ecbatana.

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_AlN: _Thank you for reading! Remember that I always love reviews. Also, I'm thinking of writing a one shot that perhaps would show what happened to the gardens after Hephaestion's death. But I'm not going to write it unless there is someone out there that will read it. So let me know!

Sorry for the long pause with writing. My computer broke so I had to get a new one. This is the first thing I've been able to write and get up. But, hope you like, and I'll try to get something else out soon. -Baliansword


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